


Nursing the Nurse

by shinyskarmorys



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Fluff, Other, Sickfic, its true i have a medicine degree, sometimes all u need when sick is soup bugs and ur favourite ojisan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27864058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinyskarmorys/pseuds/shinyskarmorys
Summary: Key falls sick at work, and Kabu unexpectedly finds himself in their shoes for a day.
Relationships: Kabu/Original Non-Binary Character
Comments: 9
Kudos: 7





	Nursing the Nurse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katerskater](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katerskater/gifts).



> I'm so happy to write for Kater's wonderful OC Key again - you can see more of them over at their Twitter @starlightfruit, but I especially recommend reading [their fics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katerskater)!

Waking up that morning in their Turffield flat, Key’s keen instincts could tell something was off.

They couldn’t tell  _ what, _ exactly, just that their head felt heavier than usual and their movements were a lot more sluggish as they dragged themself to the bathroom and freshened up. Even their Pokemon, who they were sure were better at sensing this sort of thing, seemed more concerned than usual; Turnip curled up on their shoulder, rubbing its little fire worm self against their cheek, while Lemon stared up at them with their bug eyes all through breakfast. 

Only Manchego maintained his usual behaviour of whining impatiently till Key filled his bowl. As constant as death and taxes, Key grinned to themself. Still, the extra affection all around meant they weren’t feeling completely dead on the inside once they’d eaten and dressed, ready for work. They went for an extra layer in the form of a coat—it felt a little more chilly than usual, even though the weather app showed Motostoke today as a nice sunny 26 degrees Celsius.

They did find themself feeling a little queasy as they took their usual walk down to the city with Manchego perched on their head, and was considering turning back and going back home—but decided against it. It was probably nothing; maybe they just ate something funny the previous night and it would go away once they’d gotten stuck into work. And work usually helped ease most of their problems; tending to the baby Pokemon, hanging out with their friends and coworkers, spending time close to Kabu—they were all things Key had come to live for and couldn’t imagine living without.

Well, mostly spending time close to Kabu. But it just gave Key less of an excuse to miss work. Even thinking of him and his calm, gentle hand and soothing voice was already making them feel better.

“Stop it, Manchego. I know I’m blushing,” they chuckled, gently scratching the Snom under his chin, the gates to Motostoke Stadium finally looming ahead of them. “You’ll see, it’ll all be fine!”

It would not, indeed, all be fine.

They felt the usual flip in their stomach when Kabu greeted them with a discreet kiss to their cheek; it felt more of a flip than usual, though… but they just attributed that to their thoughts from before they arrived. Kabu couldn’t help looking them up and down and raising an eyebrow.

“Morning, Key… you’re wearing a coat? But it’s such nice weather out.”

“Ah, it’s n-nothing, Kabu! I just felt a little chilly while I was still back in Turffield.” They shot him a nervous smile. “I’m sure I won’t need it after a while now that I’m here!”

Their partner didn’t look entirely convinced, but decided to leave it to Key’s instinct. They were a nurse, after all. “Well, if you insist. Shall we move along then?”

Key followed him into the stadium with their usual enthusiasm, but the sluggishness from earlier that morning seemed to be slowly creeping into their footsteps. The morning was largely devoid of activity, as the day’s challengers were slated to arrive after lunch, so Key and the Trainers took the time to give the challenge Pokemon some exercise in the field. Fairly soon, however, they found themselves unable to keep up with them as they led them on their rounds. It was expected for the more hyperactive ones like the Vulpix—but when Key began pausing to haunch on their knees while minding a Sizzlipede or Litwick, who moved at crawling speeds, then there was definitely something wrong.

“Uhhh, Key?” Chaka looked over in concern from where she was feeding a group of the Litwick. She’d noticed the healer was looking a lot paler than usual, and not just from the exertion. “Are… are you sure you’re alright? You don’t seem to be doing so hot.”

“Huh? I’m fine, Chaka! J-just fine,” Key huffed, this time sitting on the ground while they fed the Sizzlipede their recommended Pokeblocks. “You know me… I’m not quite used to a lot of jogging! I just need to rest for a bit and then I’ll be right as rain!”

“Well… if you say so. But just take it easy, okay?” Chaka’s brows knitted together in concern, but she went back to the task at hand. “We don’t want our healer falling sick.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t make Key feel any less anxious, even though they knew she meant well. Truth be told, they  _ were  _ feeling a little off, and their migraine seemed to be worsening—but they couldn’t afford to let anyone worry, not when they knew how crucial their job was to keeping the stadium running; and Chaka’s statement only hit that point further home. And with the challengers all scheduled for the afternoon, they knew they had to be on hand in any circumstance.

They just needed to pull together for the rest of the morning and afternoon, and then they could head straight back home. Just what, seven more hours?

“Hey, Manchego,” Key peered up at the gummy perched on their head, “Why don’t you try giving me a little massage? Maybe that’ll make the headache go away.” 

Manchego’s idea of a ‘massage’ was to dig his stubby feelers into Key’s scalp and pull at their hair, and though they winced it still made them laugh, which was enough for the time being. “Ow, ow, okay! Enough, you can stop now, thanks.” Where was Kabu? Ah, he was probably squeezing in a workout before lunch. Maybe they could head to the gym and watch him go at it till then, now that their job on the field was done—it was true, watching Kabu’s rippling muscles and controlled breathing truly could cure anything. The mere thought was making Key giggle like a teenager.

Yes, that seems a good idea, they thought to themself as they turned around to exit the main Stadium arena. Maybe they could sneak an  _ actual  _ massage out of him if they could somehow come up with an excuse for one without sounding too sick.

But the further they got indoors, the more out of breath Key got, and the more heated their cheeks grew as they climbed the stairs. Why did the gym have to be on the first floor? Was that part of the exercise? They grumbled and heaved, leaning against the wall to support themself, feelling a tight strain in their forehead—when Kabu walked right out of the doorway, towel wrapped around his neck.

“Key? What are you doing up here?” He cast a concerned glance at his partner, gently placing an arm around their shoulder. “Don’t tell me you came to join me? You don’t look in any condition—”

“Oh, Kabu! I, um—”

They’d tried to perk up, they truly were glad to see him, but their field of vision seemed to be blurry and was showing them two Kabus at once—and the moment he laid his arm around them, their knees decided to give way completely. It wasn’t even the good kind of swooning; their head felt like a ton of bricks which then crashed down to render everything completely black.

“Key!”

Somehow in his momentary shock Kabu managed to catch them as they collapsed onto his shoulder; wrapping his strong arms around them he could tell they were most definitely  _ not  _ well and the warmth that was radiating off their face buried in his shoulder wasn’t normal. That certainly explained the coat from earlier that morning—but then why come all the way to Motostoke if they weren’t feeling it?

_ Of course, _ Kabu thought to himself as he gently rubbed Key’s back.  _ They probably didn’t want me to worry, or anyone else for that matter. _ He’d known them long enough to be well aware of that fatal flaw in their deeply caring nature. 

But it didn’t mean he wouldn’t stop worrying about them. That was the fatal flaw in his own nature.

“Elle!” He waved at the Trainer from the balcony as she approached the stadium interior, and her eyes immediately widened when she noticed Key’s limp form. “Come up here and give me a hand! Please.”

* * *

When Key came to, they were no longer standing upright on the stadium floor, but lying down on a seemingly unfamiliar soft surface. Looking around, they realised it  _ was  _ familiar; the sheets were the same ones they changed in and out in the infirmary. In fact, blinking up at the ceiling lights they realised they were in fact in the infirmary.

No, no, this wasn’t good, they couldn’t be here! The matches would be starting any second; they needed to be up and running before Kabu got to—

“Ugh,” they groaned. They’d tried sitting up in their frenzied train of thought, but had barely managed a lean up before their head felt like lead again. And before they could move any further forward, a firm but gentle hand gripped their back and slowly laid them back down.

“Easy now, Key. There we go.” Kabu’s soothing tone sounded from over their head, and they carefully glanced over to see him looking back at them, moving his hand from his back to Key’s head, slowly running a hand through their hair. The pleasant, tingling sensation was enough to lull them into lying back down, but it didn’t completely shake off their worry from earlier.

“What—what happened? Why am I in the infirmary? T-the last thing I remember was going to the gym and then—” They tried sitting back up again, but Kabu caught hold of their hands this time. “Oh Arceus, don’t tell me I fainted?!”

“You did, Key, and with good reason. You’re running a very high fever,” Kabu explained, squeezing Key’s hands and running a thumb over one of them. Behind him, Elle approached with a rolled-up wet towel; he let go momentarily to place it over his partner’s forehead. The effect was certainly soothing, but it was Kabu’s efforts that were doing a lot more to calm them down in the moment. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I… I wasn’t sure, and b-besides, I didn’t want to worry you or a-anyone else present, and I…” Key stammered, fidgeting with the hand Kabu had given them, looking up at him uncertainly. “A-are you mad at me…?”

“Of course I’m not mad, Key, I understand why you didn’t tell me.” Kabu’s black eyes were filled with nothing but concern, and he held a hand to their cheek—nearly flinching from the warmth. They really did need to rest. “But I would’ve still given you the day off and let you rest if you did. I would’ve walked you home myself, in fact.”

“But your matches—” Key began, eyes widening. “Wait! S-Shouldn’t you be down in the stadium? What are you doing here?!”

“Relax, Key. The first match is done, and it went off without a hitch. The second one is on right now, but the challenger is still trying to finish the puzzle, and Darren’s giving him a bit of a hard time. Rest assured, whatever happens we’ll be able to handle it as best as we can. You won’t need to exert yourself.”

“Wait… if we’re already on match two… and there’s three today… how long was I out?!”

“About an hour and a half, I think? You really knocked yourself out back there,” Elle frowned, coming forward with a bowl of warm porridge. “You missed lunch, and you really need to eat, but given how bad your fever is this is probably your best option at the mo.”

“Here, let me take that. You help them up,” Kabu instructed, taking the bowl from Elle while she carefully propped an extra pillow against Key’s bed, holding their back in place as they sat up despite the pounding in their head. “Eat. It’ll help you get a little strength back.”

He held out a spoon to Key’s lips, and even though they felt a little bit like one of the baby Pokemon they fed on the daily, they gratefully accepted. They couldn’t say no to Kabu—not when he was being this attentive. “I didn’t know we had porridge in the infirmary.”

“We didn’t. I quickly had Chaka run and get some from the Pokemart,” Kabu chuckled, feeding Key another spoonful. “Having enough food was my only concern, really, because there’s not a lot here other than Pokemon food. But it’s well stocked with medicine and anything else we might need, so it’s a perfectly good place to keep you for the time being.”

Key’s eyebrows shot up again. “W-what do you mean, time being?!”

“You need to rest, Key,” Elle chided, as Kabu fed them one last spoonful, grabbing a tissue to wipe stray flecks of porridge off their mouth. Key couldn’t help blushing despite their predicament—although, it probably served well to hide their blush. “You’re not leaving here till you’re feeling better.”

“But—but—I need to get back to Turffield! I need to feed Turnip—and Lemon—”

“I had a feeling you might be concerned about that,” he smiled, summoning his Rotom Phone. “Not a problem. I’ll give Milo a quick call and ask him to pop over here so I can give him my spare keys. He’ll pick them up for you.”

“You aren’t going yourself…?”

“I would, but I have bigger priorities at the moment.” He stood up, pressing a kiss to Key’s forehead; he held it there for a while before patting their head gently and flashing them a reassuring smile. “I believe I need to attend to challenger number two, and Elle, you need to welcome number three.” Elle carefully set Key down before bowing out of the room, but Kabu lingered for a while longer. “Rest assured I will be back as soon as I can, in the meantime why don’t you try and get some sleep. But if there’s anything you need, Key, anything at all, just tell me.”

He left, leaving the door open a crack and Key to lay back down, staring up at the ceiling in a slight daze. They weren’t sure if the warm feeling in their chest was because of the fever or Kabu’s manner… sure, they’d known him to be empathetic and warm as the fire he specialised in for as long as they’d known him, which was what had drawn them so close to him. But they’d never known him to be quite so…  _ doting. _

Actually, they did—back when they’d hatched Turnip together and they’d watched him fawn over the baby worm for hours on end. But that was different, that was a baby Pokemon and most people fawned over those. This was him willing to disrupt his entire Gym routine just to be by Key’s side. 

“Oh… I really am silly,” they muttered to themself, a slight pang of guilt welling up with the realisation. “I should’ve just told him, and we’d avoid all this inconvenience…”

Their deviation in thought was interrupted by a sudden soft thump on their head; Manchego had jumped from where he’d patiently perched on a shelf right onto their head. “Ah! There you are, gummy…” They caught the glare from the Snom, and chuckled, shaking their head. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I’m not sure how much better I would’ve fared on my own at home, honestly. I really do feel like garbage.”

Manchego seemed to approve of this assessment, and settled comfortably in Key’s fluffy hair, closing his eyes. “Yes, I should probably take his advice, huh?” They smiled, giving the Snom a quick squeeze before settling further in the blankets, closing their own eyes. “Just be sure you don’t melt from my fever, okay?”

* * *

Out in the centre, Kabu had handed over his delivery to Milo as promised, and just finished his second match for the day. It had ended up in him handing over the badge, but he knew very well it was because his attention was not a hundred percent, and it had rubbed off on his Pokemon, too. But they were equally concerned for their Trainer, and for Key, who they’d grown to love from all the affection they’d always showered on them. So he didn’t feel entirely guilty for letting the side down—he knew they wanted to see Key, too.

“But we’ve got to give our all on the next one. It’s the last of the day, and we can’t let Key think we’ve been throwing matches for their sake,” he instructed them, all attentively listening. His hands had begun their nervous twitch again, and he knew it would stop the sooner he could go back up to the infirmary. “Let’s win this one for Key, alright?”

Yakeru, Takibi, Akahana and Muzu all let out a nod and cry of agreement, taking their positions back in their Pokeballs as the third challenger strode out to the middle. Kabu glanced up at the sky; the sun was already beginning to set and it was later than usual. While he hoped he could get this over with, he also hoped the extra time meant Key got some extra sleep.

They ended up winning, and the Gym Leader gave the whole team extra pats for their effort; better still, the challenger’s retreating back was soon replaced with Milo’s smiling face, two Pokeballs in hand. He had to chuckle at the tiny circular burn marks on the farmer’s cheek, but it was good to know there were others willing to put in that extra effort for Key to feel better.

And he hoped Key knew that, too.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright by yourself, sir?” Elle frowned as he waved his Trainers off for the day.

“Yeah, if Key needs anything, or if you need anything, just call any of us,” Darren piped up. “We don’t want  _ you  _ getting sick too…”

“Don’t worry. I’m quite alright, and I’ll take my own precautions,” he chuckled, giving them a pat on the back. “Thank you, everyone. You’ve all been a major help, and I’m sure Key is very grateful.”

Once they were gone, he immediately rushed back upstairs to the infirmary, where he was relieved to find Key still tucked in and snoring soundly, Manchego still nestled on their head. He let Turnip and Lemon out to join him, thinking it would be a nice surprise for when they woke.

Their forehead felt a bit cooler against his hand, but he could still notice them shivering despite being bundled in blankets. He frowned, sitting down and pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to think back to whenever he’d been sick. His mother always had a hearty, warm vegetable broth on hand, and it had always done the trick. Chaka had brought soup up from her grocery run, so he put the kettle on; it would have to be dinner for them both.

His eye then landed on the cabinets next to Key’s bed—the ones they stocked full of berries for their various medical preparations. Surely those would be of use; they’d certainly been a cure-all back at home. But it had been far too long since he’d looked up Hoennian medicine…

He scrolled through his contacts from Hoenn, certain he’d find some sort of answer, and by racking his brains a bit more he finally did. He could only hope the Champion was awake.

“Hello?” A rather sleepy young woman’s voice answered after a few rings. “Master Kabu, what an unexpected surprise…”

“Good evening, Riya, I’m really sorry to be calling at this hour,” he apologised. “But I was hoping you could help me with something urgent. Your mother is a herbalist, right?”

“Sootopolitan, yes. Why, what’s the matter? Is something wrong?”

“It’s my partner, Key—they’ve got a fever, and I’m afraid it might not die down the colder the night gets. Do you by chance know of any berry preparations that might help?”

“I do, actually, hold on. Mum passed down all her stuff to me.” There was a sound of drawers opening and shutting on the other end before she continued. “It always comes in handy whenever Steven ends up catching something from sitting in a cave for too long. No, shush, I wasn’t talking to you! Go back to sleep! Sorry about that.”

“It’s perfectly fine,” Kabu chuckled. “That makes it exactly what I need then. Thank you very much, Champion. I’m in your debt.”

“Nonsense, I’m perfectly happy to help. Um, are you sure you don’t want me to just email it to you, Master Kabu…?”

“No, no, I’ll write it down. That way I’ll remember it better for next time.”

Fortunately, all the berries Riya had mentioned were in the infirmary’s stock, and he ground them to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle before adding it to Key’s share of the soup. Right on time, too, because they were stirring back awake.

“Oh—Lemon! Turnip!” The bugs practically pounced on their Trainer the moment their eyes fluttered open, and it gave them enough strength to slowly sit up and greet them properly. They held them to each of their cheeks, laughing. “Oh, I’m so happy to see you guys!”

“And I’m happy to see you’re happy,” Kabu smiled, returning to the chair beside them with the bowl of soup, pressing a kiss to their temple. “You certainly look a lot better, but I still insist you rest. You can sleep here overnight.”

“But—what about you?” Key frowned, pausing to eat a spoonful of the soup. “What’s this? It tastes really good.”

“Vegetable soup, Hoenn style. I’m glad you’re able to taste it,” he nodded, holding up some more. “And don’t worry about me, you do that far too much already. Let me worry about you for once.”

“K-Kabu…” They settled into silence as he fed them more soup, gazing for a while at his patient, kind face. They could tell he was beginning to grow tired with the late hour, yet he shrugged it off, noticing their concerned glance.

“I know fussing over all of us comes with your job description, but I’m certain you’d do it even otherwise, because that’s who you are, and the kindness of your heart. And I think it’s only fair we returned that kindness in full when you most need it, hm?” He chuckled. “Look at me. I’m nursing the nurse.”

That brought a giggle to Key’s lips, too, but they stopped him to squeeze his free hand, golden eyes welling up with genuine gratitude. “T-thank you, Kabu. I-I love you.”

“I love you too, Key. Very much.” He held a kiss to their forehead, patting their head—where Manchego allowed him—and went back to holding up the last of the soup. “And don’t you worry about keeping me here. If anything, I’m glad I can be here for you like this. I would’ve taken you to Turffield and stayed overnight, but I didn’t want to make you feel worse in a taxi, and—”

“Shhh,” Key held up a finger to his lips, smiling. “You’ve done m-more than I could’ve asked for already. And I really, really appreciate it.”

“I’m glad. That’s enough for me… that I’m always here for you.” Kabu put aside the bowl to wipe Key’s face with another wet towel, before fluffing up the pillows and gently setting them back down. “Now get some sleep. I’m certain you’ll feel much better in the morning.”

* * *

Either Kabu was a prophet or he’d cast a spell on that soup, because Key was feeling far better when they woke just as he’d said they would. Their head no longer felt like lead and the extra blankets were feeling a bit too warm, and they carefully peeled them off so as not to disturb their Pokemon—then their eyes followed the morning light streaming in through the window. It landed on Kabu next to them—sprawled sideways in the same chair they’d left him in, fast asleep.

Key tutted in disapproval. He’d clearly been there the whole night… but then, they realised: he’d been there  _ the whole night _ . Next to them, checking on them till his own body clock gave up on him, but he’d never once left their side. He’d never planned on it.

And he never would, no matter what.

They could’ve teared up out of sheer affection, but instead chose to keep it to a smile, pressing a kiss to Kabu’s forehead just as he had before carefully lifting his head off the chair and onto their lap. He didn’t wake or budge an inch; just continued snoozing without protest. A few minutes later, though, he had an arm wrapped around Key’s waist, almost as if instinctively checking they were still there.

“I’m here, Kabu,” they whispered, laying a hand on his head and holding him close. “I’m always here for you. That’s enough for me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Riya is my OC - you may have seen her before on my AO3, but for more of her and her rock boy follow my Twitter @shinyskarmorys!


End file.
